GLENWOOD SPRINGS–The Colorado Mountain College (CMC) Board of Trustees in August approved a ballot measure for the November election, asking voters to give the 11-campus college system authority to adjust its mill levy to exceed property tax revenue limits put in place by the state legislature.
In 2018, voters approved a property taxing provision giving the college authority to adjust the mill levy to maintain revenue that would otherwise be lost to state-wide property tax assessment rate reductions. CMC used the provision to both expand its vocational training for first responders, nurses, and high-demand skilled trades, as well as to “develop innovative housing strategies” to retain local talent in the mountain communities the college serves, according to a media release.
A mill levy is the tax rate applied to the assessed value of a property. One mill equals one dollar for every $1,000 of assessed value. Over the last two years, CMC lowered the mill levy from 4.241 to 3.23, voluntarily giving $47 million back to taxpayers in response to increased property valuations.
However, the legislature in 2024 passed House Bill 24B-1001, capping the growth of local government revenue at 5.25% above the prior year’s level, restricting CMC’s ability to adjust its mill levy to exceed the new cap.
“This November’s vote is about reaffirming the trust voters placed in us in 2018,” said Chris Romer, president of the CMC board. “It is not a tax increase; it’s a restoration of local control, grounded in the investment our communities made in us seven years ago. With this flexibility, CMC will expand programs that are vital to local employers and lead to good jobs for students.”
But Joshua Sharf, senior fellow in fiscal policy at Independence Institute*, questions why the college’s revenues need to grow more than the HB24B-1001 cap. “If the intent is to grow more than 5.25%, the question would be why on earth would they need to do that,” Sharf told Complete Colorado, “Why should the college get first dibs on that money.”
Measure 7C will appear on all ballots within CMC’s 7,600 square mile taxing district, covering eight central Colorado counties, including Lake, Eagle, Garfield, Grand, Jackson, Pitkin, Routt and Summit.
*Independence Institute is publisher of Complete Colorado.
